John Spinks

For the guitarist and lyricist of the British rock group The Outfield, see John Spinks (musician)
John William Tranter Spinks
President of the University of Saskatchewan
In office
1960–1975
Preceded by Walter P. Thompson
Succeeded by Robert Begg
Personal details
Born (1908-01-01)January 1, 1908
Methwold, England
Died March 27, 1997(1997-03-27) (aged 89)
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

John William Tranter Spinks, CC MBE SOM (January 1, 1908 March 27, 1997) was the President of the University of Saskatchewan from 1960 to 1975.

Biography

Born in Methwold, England he received a BSc (1928) and his doctor of philosophy degree (Ph.D.) in chemistry (1930) from King's College London.

He emigrated to Canada in 1930 to join the chemistry faculty of the University of Saskatchewan as an assistant professor and was promoted to professor in 1938, head of the Department of Chemistry in 1948, and dean of the college of Graduate Studies in 1949. He was appointed President in 1960. During his tenure, the university grew from 4,500 to 13,500 full-time students. He spent the 1933-34 academic year at the University of Darmstadt, Germany, where he first met Dr. Gerhard Herzberg and helped him emigrate to Canada.

During World War II, he developed search and rescue procedures for missing aircraft and was awarded the M.B.E.. After the war, he pioneered the use of radioactive isotopes in agricultural and chemical research. He married Mary Strelioff in 1939. He died in Saskatoon in 1997.

The University of Saskatchewan open source computer labs were named the Spinks Labs.

Honours

References

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